As a follow-up to the Franco-African summit in Yaounde, Cameroon’s communication minister Jacques Fame Ndongo presided over the inauguration of satellite broadcasts by the Cameroon Radio Television Corporation (CRTV).

The satellite link made CRTV part of the Francophone audio-visual chain comprising Euronews, TV5, TV1, MTN and CFI. With this new technological advancement, CRTV’s digital signal will now cover all of Africa, southern Europe and the Middle East. CRTV signal is expected to cover more than 80 per cent of the national territory.

CRTV is broadcasting on the NSS 803 satellite at 21.5 degrees West: transponder 25 4055MHz R (Globecast package) SR/FEC 27500 3/4.

“Thanks to these qualitative steps towards cutting-edge technology, CRTV will solve its technical blackouts, which were seriously affecting certain parts of the country. Indeed, many Cameroonian towns and villages were, so far, little exposed to radio and television signals,” said Ndongo.

According to the CRTV technical director, Mr Ecart, CRTV transmitters had hitherto covered only 50 per cent of the national territory. “The government has opted for satellite transmission because we have had lots of problems in regard to the terrestrial telecommunication network. In certain areas such as Maroua or Garoua, there were rampant signal cuts. It was difficult to fulfil our mission with such equipment”, he said.

The acquisition of the new technology will cost CRTV nearly CFA 500m a year for the rental of the spatial segment, which will last for three years.